My husband and I are both educators and have worked in public education in secondary schools for…read morethe past 15 years. We were lucky that for the first 3 years of our daughters life, we could rely on grandparents for complete childcare. When going to work, our minds were at ease knowing she had excellent care and attention at home. The downside was that at 3 years old, our daughter had not had much opportunity to socialize with other children or stay with an adult other than her grandparents or parents. We were of course, concerned that the transition to child care or school might be disastrous. I cannot be more satisfied with our decision to enroll our daughter at the Challenger School, Shawnee campus. We began with the summer school option, enrolling her in a half day program, 5 days a week when she was 3 years and a few months old. This was the perfect transition for a child who had no experience staying with other adults outside of family. Her cognitive, social, and emotional progress was visible immediately. That Fall, we enrolled her in a full day program in the 3 year old class. A year later, and we are still so happy with our experience. Our daughter will be enrolled in the 4 year old program for the 17-18 school year. While the curriculum and academic expectations are indeed rigorous, the staff is so incredibly loving, caring, and nurturing. The instruction is given in a way that engages the students through music and art. The children genuinely have fun while they learn and appreciate the structure and routine. We are always impressed with the work our daughter brings home. She is only 4 and can print her name, blend letters to phonetically read and write 3-4 letter words, add and subtract numbers, and so much more. Her experience is not unique as most if not all the students in her class can do the same. On top of this, every staff member from the administration, security guards, secretarial staff and teachers are excellent. I feel as though I am leaving my child with family. This is an incredibly important feature to me as I need to feel as though I am leaving my daughter in loving and capable hands when I drop her off to go to work. We have bonded with a number of parents from her class and get together for the kids birthday parties and other social events. I cannot imagine a better place for our child. I am happy to answer any further questions about our experience if you are interested in enrolling your son or daughter. Also, the school offers a tuition incentive of 15% off through a referral program. Please contact me if you are interested in this opportunity.

So like it was good my child is very smart compared to other students but I like think there's too…read moremuch of a jump between first grade and second grade like wdym at third grade all the sudden everything changes like my child's teach Ms. Holland got mad at my child and yelled at her for not knowing the difference between legal and just like wth?! However I do like Mrs Bamber, she's very supportive bc she helped my child get better grades. Although fifth grade is the hardest grade because of the biggest jump in curriculum. The turnover among teachers and headmasters are high at this campus. Don't know if it's the same for other campuses. It's upsetting when you're getting new teachers who aren't experienced in teaching. Honestly Challenger also preps you to be concerned when transferring schools because Shawnee is so small it will be easy to get lost in other campuses and like I hate this school. But they give you gold for completing PreK to eighth grade so I like that

Amazing school we transitioned after winter break and it was so easy and headache free "almost" lol.read more

I went to this school two years ago,i got food poisoning and gonna-rhea from the food,and through…read moresecond grade the teacher discriminated me and called my older friend a "fucking mexican" and they still work there. The new principal does not deal with any serious events and after I reported it they just brushed it off and didnt take me seriously

We are so happy to have spent our pre K ， K and first-grade in this campus. It has been years full…read moreof love, fun, and exciting activities. We will cherish all the wonderful memories and keep all the good memories. As we move on to second grade, we will carry these happy experiences with us. We like this campus and are grateful for such a wonderful year.

We are very happy with our experience at Stratford! Our son has been attending Stratford at the…read moreAlmaden campus since kindergarten. All his teachers, Ms Sangeetha & Ms Allie (K), Ms Shilpa (1st grade), have been excellent at encouraging our son to do well and have also provided critical feedback when needed. Our son adores his teachers and has made friends that hopefully stay for lifelong. We also like the balance Stratford offers in terms of academics and extra-curriculars. One minor feedback for the school would be to improve the summer program as our experience has been alright thus far. More creative program options would be nice. Overall, very happy with Stratford Almaden.

My son recently graduated after attending Old Orchard from K-8th grade. He and his classmates…read morebenefitted from teachers who challenged them, a culture of excellence, and a diverse, tight-knit community where students felt comfortable bringing their whole self to school. Very different than what I remember from my large, public middle school experience! He and his classmates were all accepted to their top choice high schools with placement in honors and advanced classes, and I have no doubt that they're all very well prepared to succeed in high school and beyond. We loved everything about the Old Orchard experience from the school's seamless response to Covid, the inclusive sports program, investment in arts and language, and diligent preparation for high school admissions process.

My two daughters have attended OOS, and we love it! I want to say a big thanks to the…read moreadministration, they are just great! Any concerns or questions which we ever addressed to them were always resolved. No matter what question we had, we always saw friendly staff which is open, ready to help, and resolve any situation in the best way. Academics are great, which is big deal for us. After OOS, kids attend highly selective high schools, and doing great at rigorous classes; which is again a great compliment to OOS teachers for good preparation. OOS does a great job at helping their 8th grade students with the high school admission process. The school community is wonderful, great families, many of which became our close friends. The classes are small, allowing each student to grow. There are always lots of opportunities for parents to be actively involved in school life, but it is not mandatory if your busy life does not allow you to do it. Highly recommended this school!

My daughter has been at Challenger School Harwood for two years, and we've loved the strong…read moreacademics and the incredibly caring staff. The teachers and management are truly involved in each child's wellbeing. A special shout‑out to Mrs. Sukaina in the office team is always warm, responsive, and a delight to talk to. Highly recommend.

We are thrilled with our experience at Challenger School (Harwood Campus) this year! Our son is in…read morethe 4-year preschool program, and the growth we have seen in him is remarkable. A huge part of this success is due to his incredible teachers, Ms. Lourenda and Ms. Samita. They are a great team--warm, attentive, and dedicated to the students. You can tell they truly care about each child's individual progress. They have created such a disciplined yet joyful environment where our son feels confident and excited to learn every day. Academically, the curriculum is fantastic. Our son is currently learning vowel blending, which is a good achievement for his age! It is wonderful to watch him building such strong reading skills so early on. Thank you, Ms. Lourenda, Ms. Samita, and the entire Challenger Harwood team for giving our son such a strong foundation. We couldn't be happier with our decision to send him here!

We live in Los Gatos and we never thought that we would consider a private school for our son until…read moreHillbrook. At first, my son joined the junior kindergarten because the public school TK program was too short. We thought it would just be a year then we would go back. Then Covid happened and the difference on how Hillbrook handled the Covid situation with that of the public schools is day and night. We feel very safe sending our son here. After 2 years at Hillbrook, my son blossomed. So by the time he entered the elementary school, it was no brainer to continue his schooling here. The school also took a proactive prevention in bullying. The teachers did such a great job, above and beyond, to protect their kids while teaching them to be able to advocate for themselves. We are entering our 4th year at Hillbrook and my son blossoms. He's a natural leader, well spoken, and he adjusts well among his peers (classroom, playground, youth sports). What I have noticed, Hillbrook school really encourages students to be independent thinker. My son is confident and has high EQ, thanks to Hillbrook method.

Although we ultimately chose a different school for our child, I want to share how impressed I was…read morewith Hillbrook's admissions process. From start to finish, the experience stood out in all the best ways. During our initial visit, I noticed something remarkable--several students came up and hugged the admissions officer. It was clear that the kids not only felt comfortable but also genuinely connected to the adults on campus. That kind of warmth and trust speaks volumes about the school culture. Throughout the process, the staff had multiple thoughtful conversations with me and invited our son to visit the campus more than once. It wasn't just about evaluating our fit for them--it really felt like they wanted to ensure the school would be the right fit for our son too. Everyone we interacted with was incredibly kind, transparent, and generous with their time and insights. What really set Hillbrook apart was how open and communicative the administration was. In a time when many schools can feel closed off or overly cautious, Hillbrook was refreshingly honest and forthcoming. That kind of openness is rare and deeply appreciated. Even though we didn't enroll, I left the process with a very positive impression of the school and the people behind it.

This review is for the staff. While the school is a high ranking, high achieving school, the staff…read moreis one of the most back-stabbing, catty, cruel staff with whom I have ever worked. I volunteered and before beginning, I suggested meeting with the teacher to discuss how I would be most helpful. The teacher agreed that this would be a good idea. After a few conversations, this never happened. I told this teacher that since it seemed meeting was impractical given our schedules, that I would appreciate suggestions along the way to help me be more effective. No suggestions were ever given so I assumed everything was working smoothly. As I sat in the lunchroom, without fail, I overheard constant gossip about students, parents, other staff, and comments about "stupid" kids, "ugly clothes", ugly hairdos, annoying parents, and useless people. Not only did they complain, they named the people (first and last). I understand the need to vent, but there is a time and place for this. At school not knowing who was listening, is unprofessional and unacceptable. At the end of my volunteer time, I was told that I was useless, unprepared, and had never communicated with them about how to be most effective. All of this was untrue and I came to find out, they simply didn't like me so they reported these things just to get me out. Little did they know, I had decided earlier that I was not returning. I honored my commitment because I have integrity, but I would never put myself in that situation again. Beware that should you volunteer, work on PTA, or do anything alongside these teachers, you will receive backlash if you don't fit into their affluent white clique.

I can honestly say I have had the best time at Los Alamitos. I have been volunteering there since…read moremy youngest was school age and have met so many wonderful people along the journey. The teachers have been great. The welcoming smiles we get coming into campus each day do indeed spread the kindness around. Now that I have been on campus daily for years many of the students also know me and say hello to me when I walk by, and for my "little" friends in Kinder or 1st I love the energetic hugs. Los Alamitos is a great community with lots of support from local business, parents, teachers, and staff!

The line to pick up my kid is very chaotic…read more The Principal is very pompous and very unfriendly .

Our Carlton experience has been amazing! Such a great community of school staff and parents and…read morecommunity members. My children have loved their time at the school and the teachers have been amazing. Each seem to care deeply for their students and to above and beyond in every way. The principal always greets with a smile and it is clear she cares for the students. The campus is easy to navigate, lots of different activities, great STEAM lab, and overall wonderful environment.